Hawks A Picture Of Health Strength And Conditioning Coach Credited With Reducing Injuries

Bill and Hillary might want to consult with Dana LeDuc before doing further work on their national health-care plan.

He’s apparently got some answers.

A little history will put his efforts into perspective.

In 1992, the Seattle Seahawks had 22 players land on the injured-reserve list. In 1991 and 1994, those totals were 17 each year.

That made them the most chronically injured team in the entire National Football League. And a loss of players generally equates to the loss of games.

Because of injuries, for instance, 10 different players started games in the secondary last year.

This year, as the Seahawks head to Kansas City for Sunday’s regular-season finale, the injured-reserve list holds just four names - and three of those, Nate Odomes, Bob Spitulski and rookie receiver Eddie Goines, were hurt before the start of the season. Only linebacker Tyrone Stowe (broken arm) was put on the IR during the season.

And not only are the Hawks healthy, they seem to be getting stronger as the season goes on.

The unanimous credit goes in one direction, to LeDuc, the team’s strength and conditioning coach.

“I credit that to Dana,” Hawks coach Dennis Erickson said. “It’s because of what was done in the off-season and what was done early in the year.

“We haven’t had a lot of injuries, and physically we’re hanging in there and playing better in the fourth quarter. Other than the Jets game, we somewhat dominated the second half of every game we’ve played in the last seven weeks.”

LeDuc came with Erickson from the University of Miami and immediately began stressing the importance of a disciplined strength program.

“We have guys that are in there lifting every day,” Erickson said. “Chris (Warren) has mentioned how much it’s helped him, and Cortez (Kennedy) is in there doing a lot of extra stuff, and that has really helped him. It’s been a big deal with everybody.”

During training camp, LeDuc said that he stressed to the team that “every rep is money in the bank and the interest will be served one day during the season.”

And it is.

The team always worked out in the weight room, but apparently, it was not as productive.

“We do a lot more with free weights, more ‘power’ lifts,” said 14-year veteran Joe Nash. “Part of getting injuries is just bad luck, but the other part is that Dana has done a great job of getting us in shape.”

Defensive end Michael Sinclair, for instance, has never made it through an entire season because of a variety of injuries. This year, he’s second on the team with 5.5 sacks.

“It seems like we’re taking better care of our legs, doing a lot more squats, which we didn’t do in previous years,” Sinclair said. “It’s a lot more explosive work.”

Sinclair was encouraged, too, not to bulk up too far and to play at 265 pounds rather than 280. “I feel great, like I can run around all day without saying, ‘Oh, man, I’m too heavy’.”

The team has been able to stay trimmer, Sinclair adds, because the Seahawks cater in healthy lunches every day. “We don’t go out and eat a lot of greasy burgers at lunch. It makes us think ‘Wow, they even care about our nutrition, too’. That makes you feel good that they care.”

LeDuc, though, can be an intimidating taskmaster. And while the Seahawks know the training regimen is beneficial, it isn’t always relished.

“I know I don’t like going in there with Dana because you know when you go in there, he’ll kill you,” safety Eugene Robinson said. “He’ll say something like, ‘Let’s get the blood flowing, Eugene,’ and I’ll know that means he wants to work me to death.”

LeDuc (that’s Le-Duke, not Le-Duck) surely must be the only strength coach in the league to be presented with a game ball this season.

Joining the Seahawks was a homecoming for LeDuc, who grew up in Tacoma - the son of a Fort Lewis bandleader. A three-sport star at Washington High, LeDuc attended the University of Kansas on a track scholarship before transferring to Texas, where he won an NCAA shotput title (personal best, 67 feet).

In 16 years at Texas, LeDuc helped upgrade the strength program of the Longhorns before being hired by Erickson two years ago.

He wondered, after working with college players for 18 years, whether he’d be able to demand as much of professional athletes.

“I was really pleased,” the 42-year-old LeDuc said. “You hear some of the things about pro athletes, that sometimes they can be difficult to work with, but these guys were the best I’ve ever been around.

“The main thing is that they didn’t shy away from anything, and they responded so quick. In fact, in some cases, you have to hold the reins back and cycle the training because some of them will do too much.”

LeDuc says that athletic fitness in not simply a matter of power, but also of flexibility and of good nutrition.

And, mostly, of hard work.

“This is a group of guys who have worked extremely hard; they want to win,” LeDuc said. “You get guys spending a lot of time and working hard in the weight room and you develop a great deal of camaraderie.

“That’s like equity that pays off late in the season,” he said. “When you’ve got a fourth-and-1, you think back to all the work you’ve done and when you do, you won’t be denied.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo